It is a popular narrative in the modern superhero movies. After the sixth installment of the franchise, the hero is starting to tire of doing good. He/she is underappreciated. The world is saved only to need saving again. Fighting the bad guys has the hero bruised and cynical. And he/she isn’t getting any younger.
We resonate with this storyline because we all feel weary. We tire of having to make the difficult choices. Like Judas Iscariot, we are disappointed that a life of faith does not just make all the bad things go away, does not propel us to wealth and fame and the easy life.
Faith is a grind. A holy and joyful grind, but a grind nonetheless. And if we aren’t careful, just like the superheroes of the big screen, we will get so tired of doing good that we question whether it is worth it or not. We might even turn bad. Or give up the fight altogether and join the “wonderful” bliss of apathy.
Life is tiring. The plains are difficult to traverse day after day. But good is available to us. The results may not be what we hoped or imagined, but the life of faith is not about the result of circumstances, rather the development of character. And the relationship we have with the Father.